The Dating Debate Page 17

  I stayed after school so I could talk to Mr. Grant. Since his brother was donating the manpower to rehab the interior of the Hilmer building, turning it into a glorified warehouse, maybe we could alter the plans just a little bit. I had an idea that might make Nina and the other library ladies happy.

  Mr. Grant listened to me, and then he smiled. “I’m proud of you for thinking of this. It’s such a simple concept, and it will make two groups of people happy. Good job.”

  “Thanks.” I only hoped it would be enough to make Nina give me another chance.

  “I’ll let my brother know that you’ll come by after school tomorrow to help set things up.”

  There…now I had a plan. I didn’t know if it would be enough for Nina to forgive me, and I’d need to enlist some help if I was going to make this happen. I shared my plan with Matt and Charlie at lunch.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Matt said. “I don’t know if it will win Nina back, but it’s a good start.”

  “I might need your help getting Nina to the right place at the right time. Can you talk to Lisa about this, because I don’t think she’ll listen to me.”

  Matt nodded. “I can do that.”

  Three days later, after school, I waited outside the recycling center for Nina and Lisa to arrive.

  Matt texted me when the girls were on their way.

  I stood off to the side of the sign I’d just finished hanging. I heard Nina before I saw her come around the corner of the building.

  “I don’t know why you’d think I’d want to see this stupid recycling center,” she griped.

  “Just keep moving,” Lisa said.

  Nina came around the corner, spotted me, and then noticed the sign. “Hilmer Book Recycling Center? What’s this?”

  “It’s a free library.” I gestured that she should go through the door.

  She seemed unsure, but she entered the building. I followed and then watched as she scanned the small room.

  I pointed at the half-full bookshelves. “People can donate books they no longer want and pick up a different book to take home.” I pointed at the bulletin boards on the wall labeled Book Reviews and Book Requests. “People can leave reviews recommending a book or ask if anyone has seen a copy of a book they want. And that corner over there”—I pointed to an old brown leather couch my uncle had donated—“is for people who want to hang out here and read.” The sign above the couch read: Nina’s Book Nook, and a there was a small bookshelf next to it featuring a hard-backed boxed set of Harry Potter.

  Nina turned in a circle and took everything in.

  My heart beat faster in my chest. Will this work?

  …

  Nina

  West had done this for me? It was a fantastic idea. “I like it. It’s a great idea. Good job.”

  His smile faltered. “Thanks.”

  Did he think this made up for the terrible things he’d said? I wasn’t sure if it did. Still, he’d put a lot of effort into this place. I don’t think he would have done that if he didn’t care about me.

  “When did you decide to do this?” I asked.

  “After I talked to you in your backyard and realized a simple apology wasn’t going to cut it,” he said. “I was hoping you’d see it as a peace offering and maybe you’d give me another chance.”

  “Why do you want another chance?” I asked.

  “You’re going to make me argue my case about why we should get back together, aren’t you?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Got it in one.”

  “Fine.” He reached for my hand, and I let him lace his fingers through mine. Warmth radiated from his touch. “My house is a very stressful place. The only time I’ve been happy lately is when I’m with you. You make my world better. And I’d want to be with you even if you didn’t live next door.”

  Should I believe him? He seemed sincere.

  “I think this is one of those hugging moments,” West said, pulling me closer until we were toe-to-toe.

  “It is?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’m hoping it will be followed by a kissing moment, but that’s up to you.”

  “How’s it going in there?” Lisa called out as she peeked around the doorframe.

  “We’re dating again,” West said.

  “Cool. I’m out of here. You can give Nina a ride home.”

  Lisa took off, and I looked at West. “Funny, I don’t remember agreeing to date you.”

  “Too late.” He grinned like he was quite proud of himself. “I said it. You didn’t argue. Lisa heard it. So now we have to date; otherwise, you lied to your best friend.”

  “You think you’re so smart,” I said, “don’t you?”

  “With the recent exception of being a total dumb-ass…yes, I’m smart enough to know a good thing when I see it, and this time I’m not letting go.”

  “And next time there’s a problem you’ll talk to me rather than push me away?”

  “Yes. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet,” he said, “this is a kissing moment.”

  I grinned as his mouth came toward mine. He pulled me closer, and I leaned into him, enjoying the sensation of being wrapped in his arms. It felt right. It felt like I was where I belonged. I knew West and I wouldn’t always agree on everything. We were bound to have some disagreements, but as long as he took the time to talk to me, everything should be all right.

  When the kiss ended, I smiled up at him. “So…I hear there’s some sort of Spring Fling dance coming up.”

  “And you think dances are stupid, so we’re not going,” he said.

  “No, I think I’ve changed my mind,” I teased. “I want to go to a dance.”

  “We’re not going to a dance because the only reason you’re saying you want to go is to torment me,” he said.

  “Maybe, maybe not. But If I really wanted to go, would you take me?”

  “Yes,” he said. “As penance and because I want to make you happy.”

  “Thank you.” I kissed him. “And don’t worry, I don’t actually want to go to the dance.”

  “No,” he said. “I think you’re right. We should go to the dance.”

  “But I don’t want to go to the dance.” What is he trying to pull?

  “I know,” he said. “Let’s go grab some coffee, and we can talk about what you’re going to wear to the dance.”

  “Yes to the coffee,” I said. “And no to the dance.” We walked out of the lending library, hand in hand. West continued his debate on why we should go to the dance. His argument became more outrageous, and he had me laughing by the time we made it to his car. Maybe this is what relationships were supposed to be about, finding someone who wanted to make you happy because you made them happy. Even though West had freaked out and messed up big time, he’d put effort into making things right.

  A small voice in the back of my head pointed out that we’d both be heading off to college soon, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy the time we had. Who knew, if things went well, maybe we’d go away to school together. Rather than focusing on a pie-in-the-sky-happily-ever-after ending, I’d focus on living in the moment and being happy for now. Just because my dad had been a jerk didn’t mean West would be. Neither of us were perfect. Being in love and caring about someone was kind of like sharing a driveway. Being close to someone, putting your emotions out there, left you vulnerable. And accidents, like ripping West’s car mirror off, or getting into fights, were bound to happen, but most things were fixable, if you put effort into it.

  Epilogue

  Nina

  West’s dad hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of a dual graduation party, but it made sense since we both wanted to use the backyard on the same Saturday. Plus my mom had agreed to take care of all the food, if he’d round up some more outdoor tables and chairs for the backyard.

  The funny part was that he’d put all the seating on our side of the yard and blocked off his patio with two barbecue grills. He kept his back to all of us while he grilled
hot dogs and hamburgers.

  West’s mom sat behind the barbecue barrier at the umbrella table on their patio talking to a woman who I thought was West’s aunt.

  “Looks like your mom is doing okay,” I said to West, who sat next to me.

  “As long as no one tries to get past the barbecue grill barrier, I think everything will be fine,” he said. “I’m glad that she’s coming outside and talking to people.”

  “Those are both good things,” I said.

  “I know. While things seem to be going well, I wanted to give you something.” He pulled a small white box from his pocket. The kind that came from a jewelry store.

  Crap. We’d said we weren’t exchanging gifts. I hadn’t bought him anything. I did a quick inventory of anything I might have tucked away in drawer that I could give him and came up empty. “I didn’t get you anything,” I confessed.

  “This isn’t a graduation present.”

  “It’s not?” Curious, I opened the lid. A silver ring made of tiny hearts connected together like a chain was nestled inside. I plucked it out and slid it on my right ring finger. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Warmth filled my chest as I watched the light reflect off the ring. “Why isn’t it a graduation present?”

  “It’s a promise ring. Even though we won’t live next door to each other anymore, we’ll still be together,” he said.

  “We’re going away to the same college,” I reminded him.

  “I know, but we won’t literally be living right next door to each other anymore. I’ll have to hike across campus to meet you.” He smiled. “Plus it should let any guys you run into know that you’re taken.”

  “You’re worried I’ll find someone else who reads Harry Potter?” I teased.

  “Maybe.”

  I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. I saw blonde fur creeping across the yard, like Gidget was stalking something. She came to a stop by the grills and sat right next to West’s dad.

  I tensed, waiting for him to shoo her away. Instead, he patted her on the head, glanced around, and then he nudged one of the hotdogs off the edge of the grill into the grass. Gidget did her happy food dance, grabbed the hot dog and trotted off with it.

  “Did you see that?” I asked West.

  “My first explanation is invasion of the body snatchers,” West said.

  “I think Gidget won your dad over.”

  “She’s kind of hard to resist,” West said. “Despite the fact that she sheds more than the laws of physics should allow.”

  I checked around to see where my mom was. She’d been concerned that our guests and West’s guests wouldn’t mesh. The only people West’s dad had invited were his cousin’s family, which worked, since Matt and Charlie planned to have a party at their house tomorrow.

  Steve, a guy my mom worked with who was five years younger than her, was sticking to her like glue. She didn’t seem upset by that fact. She’d been smiling a lot more lately, and even though she didn’t say they were dating, I’m pretty sure Steve thought they were.

  All in all, things had turned out pretty good. West’s mom might still be a hoarder, but she was coming out of the house and talking to people. That was a step in the right direction. My mom was happy. West and I were still together, and we were going to the same college in a few months. I hadn’t picked the college because it was where he was going to school. I’d chosen it for their creative writing program, which was a happy coincidence—or maybe the universe had wanted both of us to see that the world was a better place than we thought it was.

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  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank Erin Molta and Stacy Abrams for their editing expertise and the entire Entangled Publishing team for believing in my Boyfriends. I’d also like to thank my friends and family for their love and support.

  About the Author

  Chris Cannon is the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series and the Boyfriend Chronicles. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts.

  She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.

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